Counselling and Counselling Skills Certificate of Higher Education - CertHE

On our Certificate of Higher Education in Counselling and Counselling Skills you will be able to reflect on questions such as, why do we all experience things differently and why is it sometimes so tricky to make sense of our feelings? How does the current sociopolitical world affect our emotional world, and how do inner and outer experiences relate to one another? You will also practise listening and responding skills in the classroom.

Why choose this course?

* This course is ideal if you are interested in gaining counselling skills and understanding a variety of different approaches. You can use it to help you move onto further training to become a qualified counsellor.

* You will be taught by experienced and currently practising counsellors and psychotherapists.

* Successful completion also allows you to progress on to our BA Psychosocial Studies, with or without the Psychodynamic Counselling pathway, or study a related subject such as the BSc Psychology or the MSc Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy.

What will I learn?

You will develop your self-awareness and an understanding of the complexity of each person’s emotional experience. Together, we will explore feelings, thoughts and how our external world affects us, such as through family, work and wider sociocultural factors.

You will have the opportunity to practise self-reflection through experiential learning in regular group work and in practising basic counselling skills. You will also learn about the key values and concepts of different counselling theories and techniques. 

How will I learn?

You will be taught via lectures, seminars, and through experiential learning and focused listening and skills-based exercises.

You can study this course over one year, with classes taking place in the daytime or evening.

Highlights

* Birkbeck has been training psychodynamic counsellors and psychotherapists for more than 50 years, and its courses specialise in training counsellors to work in a wide range of organisations.

* Birkbeck’s counselling courses have a strong focus on the psychosocial context, exploring difference and diversity in the therapeutic endeavour.

* Birkbeck offers extensive facilities and support for students, such as our library and regular study skills sessions.

Careers and employability

On completing this CertHE in Counselling and Counselling Skills you will have gained a set of valuable attributes and skills, for example:

* skills in a range of helping roles

* greater awareness in groups and working contexts

* skills in evaluating and assessing counselling theory

* the ability to reflect on social identity and role in a range of contexts

* the academic knowledge and practical skills to embark on further counselling training and to be considered for our MSc Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy.

We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.